August 22, 2021
Acknowledgement
Prelude- Amazing Grace - Piano Solo
Welcome
Each new day is a gift. Each new phase of life brings generous possibilities. Each new question brings learning and growth.
Welcome back to St. Paul’s as we gather again, either in person or virtually for worship. May we continue to create here a circle of love, that is ever expanding, ever growing.
May this be a place of wisdom, connection and hope.
Gathering song- All Things Bright and Beautiful
Refrain
All things bright and beautiful All creatures great and small All things wise and wonderful 'Twas God that made them all
Each little flower that opens Each little bird that sings He made their glowing colors And made their tiny wings
Refrain
The cold wind in the winter
The pleasant summer sun
The ripe fruit in the garden
God made them every on
Refrain
The rocky mountain splendour
The loon’s wild, haunting call
The great lakes and the prairies
The forest in the fall
Refrain
He gave us eyes to see them And lips that we might tell How great is the Creator
Who has made all things well
Refrain
Gathering
Through the ages and from many paths people have searched for God
Every generation has tried to define what and who God is
For some God is evident in parenthood
Pictured as the being that rules with love
Others suggest that God and Nature are the same
Which is evident and shown in the laws of creation
Some eyes are able to see God best in humanity
And see God best in the human face
Perhaps compassion is where we find holy ground
That teaches us it is there that God is found
At times the truth is hard to see and sometimes we find it difficult to see God at work around us
We will find God in love portrayed, creation, humanity and compassion. Our hearts and minds show us God in a variety of ways each day
In these brief moments may we find strength. May our lives be rich in affection, deep in understanding and compassion for each other. May the blessings of life be known to all and enrich each one of us as we find ourselves in the presence of the Holy. Amen
The Gloria
Glory to God in the Highest- MV124
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth.
Collect
Almighty God, we are taught by your word that all our doings without love are worth nothing. Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Children’s Ministry Time
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the first book of Kings (8. 22–30, 41–43)
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, the covenant that you kept for your servant my father David as you declared to him; you promised with your mouth and have this day fulfilled with your hand. Therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant my father David that which you promised him, saying, “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.” Therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you promised to your servant my father David.
‘But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built! Have regard to your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; that your eyes may be open night and day towards this house, the place of which you said, “My name shall be there”, that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays towards this place. Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray towards this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling-place; heed and forgive.
‘Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name —for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays towards this house, then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built.
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Psalm 84 Refrain Let the peoples praise you, O God.
How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; * my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my Sovereign and my God. Happy are they who dwell in your house! They will always be praising you.
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Happy are the people whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way! Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, for the early rains have covered it with pools of water. They will climb from height to height, and you, the God of gods, will reveal yourself in Zion.
Let the peoples praise you, O God
Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; hearken, O God of Jacob. Behold our defender, O God; and look upon the face of your anointed. For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, * and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. Let the peoples praise you, O God
For you, Lord God, are both sun and shield; you will give grace and glory; no good thing will you withhold, O Lord, from those who walk with integrity. O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you!
Let the peoples praise you, O God
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians (6.10–20)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn- Seek Not in Distant, Ancient Hills. (Christian Life)
Seek not in distant ancient hills
The promised holy land
But where you live do what God wills
And find it close at hand.
A single heaven wraps around
this whirling, watered stone
And every place is sacred ground
Where God is loved and known.
To climb the templed, footworn peak
Where pilgrims long have trod
Unlock the bolted soul and seek
The present, living God.
In spirit and in truth, you’ll find
What human thought can’t frame
The source of breath and pulse and mind
The primal wind and flame.
The Gospel
The Lord be with you And also with you
The Holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (6.56–69)
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
Affirmation of Faith (Celebrations along the Way D. McRae-McMahon)
How will we believe, O God?
And yet we will, and yet we must, or nothing is possible beyond what we can now see.
We believe, against all our realities and the lack of hope around us,
we believe in God.
We believe that Jesus Christ
and the life of this Christ will survive in the world.
We believe that the Spirit is still with us,
the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ.
We believe that we are eternally linked
with the love and good and courage of our God,
if we choose to be.
And so we choose. Amen
Confession (Flames of the Spirit Ruth Duck)
Lover of the Universe, we come to you now believing that your all-embracing care is for each one of us, individually and particularly, as well as for all the multitudes through time and space. We confess that we have often blocked out of our lives either the awareness or the practice of your love.
We have tried to live as if we were the centre of all creation. We have pretended that our darkness is a light for others to follow. We have sought wisdom in high places, not among ordinary people or events. We have missed seeing Christ in other people. We have failed to represent Jesus in our encounters with one another.
We seek to hear again the assurance of your forgiveness. We ask for the capacity to accept your forgiveness and embrace the freedom given to us to begin anew as disciples of Christ and as apostles of the good news. Amen
Assurance
God has even now given us the gift of repentance. God is at work in the world. It is not we who hope, but God who hopes in us. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
God our health and salvation, bless our prayers as we now pray for others. Let the worth of our prayers, when blessed by Christ’s hands, stretch far beyond the limited range of our concern, and probe much deeper than our compassion can ever reach.
We pray for the lost and all who go searching for them, for the fallen and the merciful who give them a hand, the timid souls and those who speak up for them.
We pray for the nations and advisers who have influence with governments, for the different races and all who treasure the smallest and weakest, for those at war, and the peace-keepers who stay the bloodshed, and peacemakers who try to bring a just reconciliation.
We pray for the hungry millions and the agencies and donors who attempt to feed them, the homeless and those who house them, for refugees and each country that gives them a new start.
We pray for those who live with disabilities and the therapists who encourage and enable them, the oppressed and those who empower them, the alcoholics and other drug addicts and each clinic or adviser that offers some respect and hope.
We pray for the diseased and the nurses who touch and tend them, the injured and the surgeons and carers who rehabilitate them, the mentally ill and each counsellor who patiently works for their well being.
We pray for the dying and those who stay with them to the end, the sorrowing and pastors and loved ones who comfort them, for the inconsolable and those special friends who do not become impatient or expect a rapid recovery from grief.
We pray for the unemployed and those who recognise their despair, for the unemployable and all who understand their frustration, for those in sheltered workshops and the supervisors who encourage and affirm them.
We pray for the church in its many denominations and congregations, for its leaders and members, the pastors and those who train and pastor them, the new converts who may feel impatient with staid ways, and established members who forget what it is like to be new comers.
Loving God, our health and salvation, channel love through our praying, and show us how to practice love in activity as well as in prayer. In the name of Christ Jesus. Amen!
The Peace
The Great Thanksgiving
Offering Hymn- Bread of Life MV197
Bread of life, broken and shared
Cup of life outpoured.
In this meal we are transformed
to be like Christ our Lord,
to be like Christ our Lord.
I am the bread of Life
All who come to me shall never hunger
And all who drink will never thirst
For I will give eternal life!
Bread of life, broken and shared
Cup of life outpoured.
In this meal we are transformed
to be like Christ our Lord,
to be like Christ our Lord.
When we eat this bread
When we drink this saving cup,
We proclaim your death
Until you come in glory!
Bread of life, broken and shared
Cup of life outpoured.
In this meal we are transformed
to be like Christ our Lord,
to be like Christ our Lord.
Unless a grain of wheat
Falls to the ground and dies
It remains a single grain
But of it dies, bears new life!
Bread of life, broken and shared
Cup of life outpoured.
In this meal we are transformed
to be like Christ our Lord,
to be like Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the gifts
God of glory, receive all we offer this day as a symbol of our love, and increase in us that true and perfect gift. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Eucharistic Prayer 4
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right to give you thanks and praise,
O Lord, our God, sustainer of the universe,
you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home;
by your will they were created and have their being.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
From the primal elements
you brought forth the human race,
and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill;
you made us the stewards of creation.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
But we turn against you, and betray your trust;
and we turn against one another.
Again and again you call us to return.
Through the prophets and sages
you reveal your righteous law.
In the fullness of time you sent your Son,
born of a woman, to be our Saviour.
He was wounded for our transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities.
By his death he opened to us
the way of freedom and peace.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Therefore we praise you,
joining with the heavenly chorus,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs,
and with those in every generation
who have looked to you in hope,
to proclaim with them your glory,
in their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
for sending us Jesus, the Christ,
who on the night he was handed over
to suffering and death,
took bread, said the blessing,
broke the bread, gave it to his friends,
and said, “Take this, and eat it:
this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after supper,
he took the cup of wine;
he gave you thanks,
and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of me.”
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Gracious God,
we recall the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
we proclaim his resurrection and ascension,
and we look with expectation for his coming
as Lord of all the nations.
We who have been redeemed by him,
and made a new people by water and the Spirit,
now bring you these gifts.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this offering of your Church,
that we who eat and drink at this holy table
may share the divine life of Christ our Lord.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Pour out your Spirit upon the whole earth
and make it your new creation.
Gather your Church together
from the ends of the earth into your kingdom,
where peace and justice are revealed,
that we, with all your people,
of every language, race, and nation,
may share the banquet you have promised;
through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
all honour and glory are yours,
Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
THE COMMUNION- The God That I Know (Tune In)
He comes with his arms open wide,
a sheltering place I can hide
and my deepest fears, questions and tears
I can face with his strength as my guide.
She comes with a smile on her face,
loving kindness my wrongs to erase
and my company she keeps, for the pleasure it reaps
my life she will renew with her grace.
Both father and mother to me,
more loving than parents can be
the God that I know, is a stranger no more,
but the place where I find myself free.
As I walk this earth on my own, I carry a promise that I’m not alone a gift that is mine, for all of my time, love that lets me know that I am home, love that lets me know that I am home, love that lets me know that I am home.
Prayer after Communion
Living God, increase in us the healing power of your love. Guide and direct us that we may please you in all things, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Doxology
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen
The Blessing
May God make you impatient to get going,
eager to share the love you have found in the house of prayer,
and keen to exhibit mercy and peace in all your activities.
May God make you patient with those who seem tardy,
understanding with those who are hesitant, anxious or afraid,
and gracious towards any who appear (in your eyes) to be failing in their responsibility.
May the mind that was in Christ possess you,
the love that is always at the heart of God enlarge you,
and the joy of the Spirit give you kindly eyes and thankful soul. Amen!
Announcements
Closing Hymn- God of Grace and God of Glory (Peace and Justice)
God of grace and God of glory, on thy people pour your power; now fulfil your churches story
bring its bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour,
Lo, the hosts of evil round us scorn your Christ, assail his ways. fears and doubts too long have bound us
free our hearts to work and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days.
Cure your children’s warring madness; bend our pride to thy control; shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal.
Set our feet on lofty places gird our lives that they may be
Armoured with all Christ-like graces
In the fight for liberty Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, lest we fail ourselves and thee.
The Dismissal
Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord
Thanks be to God. Alleluia
Post-- A Vision Strong (Shawn Whelan)
The people will perish without a vision strong
And the victims of oppression call to us to sing their song
We can sing it together if we’re standing side by side
Sharing joys and sorrows like the flowing of the tide
The people will perish without a vision strong.
The people will perish without a vision strong
And the plunder of the earth cannot go on for very long
Development means more than building towers to the sky
And living well means more than just deciding what to buy
The people will perish without a vision strong.
The people will perish without a vision strong
Work to build up what is right and tear down what is wrong
The young must see their visions and the old must dream their dreams
Of a time when justice rolls down as an ever-flowing stream
The people will perish without a vision strong
The people will perish without a vision strong.